When I was pregnant with my son, I ate a lot of Mexican food. It was not uncommon for us to go to the same Mexican restaurant twice a week. After my son was born, the waitress snatched up our “gringo” baby and showed him off to the kitchen staff. Our love for Mexican food is still strong but, now I cook at home more often. The numero uno request is for lentil tacos.

Lentil tacos are easy to make, tasty and affordable. I buy lentils from the bulk section and always have some on hand. Cooked lentils have 230 calories per cup. 0.5 grams of fat and 17 grams of protein. I prepare the lentils ahead of time and they are ready to make a quick meal on karate or soccer nights. These tacos can be made “vegan” or vegetarian.

What You Need:

2 1/2 cups cooked brown lentils

Water, oil or veggie broth to add to lentils

1 packet taco seasoning (or you can make your own)

Taco shells, corn tortilla or flour tortillas

salsa

taco sauce

chopped tomato

chopped lettuce

avocado

Sour Cream (I used a vegan brand)

Cheese (I used a vegan brand of this also)

What To Do:

Heat a bit of oil, water or veggie broth in a skillet. Add the cooked lentils to the pan. Mix taco seasoning with 1/2 cup water until dissolved. Add the seasoning mixture and heat on medium until the mixture boils. Add more water or broth if needed. As the mixture cooks, mash the lentils with a fork or potato masher. I like mine mashed but with some whole lentils left.

While the lentils are cooking, prepare your taco toppings.

Here are some suggestions.

salsa

taco sauce

chopped tomato, chopped lettuce, chopped onions

jalapenos

black olives

avocado

Sour Cream (vegan or regular)

Cheese (vegan or regular)

black beans

refried beans

rice

Once the lentil mixture has thickened to a desired consistency, you can start filling your taco shells or tortillas. It is that simple to make these delicious tacos that everyone will enjoy.

What are your favorite taco toppings? When you try this recipe, come back and leave a comment.

This is a great vegan option! I usually go with the home-cooked black or kidney beans and then mash them up so that I have a nice filling. The toppings I usually prefer don’t differ much from the ones you’ve listed! I love, love love guacamole as a topping.

I can’t wait to try these! We are big fans of Mexican food in our house, and we love how easy it is to adapt to our changing diets (meat/vegetarian/vegan). We love refried beans, and I make my own from canned pinto beans – I am thinking the texture of the lentils might be comparable. This will be a good way to get my husband eating yet another meat-free Mexican meal!